This application is a non-provisional application filed under 35 U.S.C. §111(a) claiming the filing date of provisional application 60/565,263 filed Apr. 23, 2004.
The present invention relates to the tethering of animals, and in particular, it relates to the tethering of horses in such a manner to prevent injury to the horses.
Animal tethering has been accomplished using ropes, specialized lead ropes and even bungee-type leads. A problem with previous methods of tethering horses is that if the horse becomes frightened and pulls back sharply, being tied to a stationary object exacerbates their fright by adding pressure to the poll or back of their head. Being fixedly tethered, the frightened horse pulls until they get free either injuring themselves, the wall, trailer, person nearby or breaking their halter and/or lead. The bungee-type leads provide a minimal amount of flexibility to the frightened horse. When a horse on a bungee type lead or tie-up pulls back, eventually the bungee breaks shooting the hasp or lead shank through the air possibly injuring a bystander.